Course: Genocide and Group Hostility

Genocide and Group Hostility

In this course we will explore the concept of genocide and other mass atrocities, using various key cases from recent decades.

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The UN Genocide Convention was adopted in 1948 in the aftermath of the Holocaust. The concept of “genocide” remains central as well as contested in international legal and political discourse. A core question is how genocide should be defined and how it differs from other mass atrocities such as crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

In this course, we will explore selected cases from recent decades affecting different ethnic and/or religious groups in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Srebrenica, 1995), Rwanda (1994), and Iraq and Syria (2014). When discussing genocide and other mass atrocities, we will also consider more recent cases that have been reviewed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ). This includes directions to Myanmar and Israel to take measures to prevent genocide against the Rohingya and Palestinians in Gaza.

The course provides insight into the legal mechanisms aiming to ensure prevention and combat impunity at the international and national levels, developed based on the UN Genocide Convention. It also discusses the developments and debates that put pressure on these mechanisms and on the definition of genocide that they are based upon.

Course Aims

This course will provide resources that enable you to

  • Explore diverse perspectives and debates surrounding the definition of genocide and how they may be applied to different cases.
  • Recognize the shared characteristics and key differences between “genocide” and other mass atrocities, such as “ethnic cleansing”, “war crimes”, and “crimes against humanity”
  • Recognize warning signals that may indicate the coming/threat of genocide or other mass atrocities, and gain insight into preventive mechanisms and their limitations
  • Learn about different legal and non-legal approaches to restoration after genocide
  • Explore the relationship between group hostility, religious identity, gender, and genocide

Course Modules

This course is divided into four main modules, addressing the following main topics:

Module 1: GENOCIDE

  • the definition of genocide according to the UN Genocide Convention; other understandings of genocide; political use/misuse of the term
  • differences and similarities between mass atrocity crimes such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity

Module 2: PREVENTION

  • recognition of warning signals for genocide
  • mechanisms for and challenges related to the prevention of genocide

Module 3: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

  • legal mechanisms developed to combat impunity after genocide
  • approaches to and challenges of reconciliation after genocide

Module 4: GROUP HOSTILITY

  • group hostility and dehumanization as preconditions for genocide
  • various causes of genocide

Approach / Methodology

This is an interdisciplinary course ingrained in international human rights law that incorporates various perspectives from social science. The course takes on a comparative and case-based approach.

How to use the course

This course makes use of audio-visual tools such as expert interviews and short documentary films. It also includes brief articles, fact boxes, and other drop-down content for more in-depth studies. At the end of each module, you will find “Questions for reflection” and the section “Additional resources” that contains additional case studies and analyses. The course, whether in whole or in parts, can be applied alone or as a basis for group discussions. It also compiles resources and exercises that educators and trainers may use in this field.

If you don’t finish the course in one session, you can continue later from the same computer and browser you are using now.

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